Go green: Gaslamp celebrates St. Paddy's Day

SAN DIEGO ---- If St. Patrick's Day is as much a North American
holiday as an Irish one these days ---- especially the
adult-geared, festive aspect of it ---- then the Gaslamp Quarter
should be as good as any urban playground for such a celebration.
That whole "Irish for a day" spirit seems to be contagious.

As many as 20,000 permanently Irish and temporarily Irish are
expected to descend March 17 on downtown San Diego for the shamROCK
2010 festival. If carpeting the streets with 60,000 square feet of
green artificial turf doesn't quite re-create the lush hills of
Ireland's Connemara region, perhaps traditional Irish fayre from
Gaslamp pub/restaurant The Field will provide a welcome slice of
Irish authenticity.

Besides the food, shamROCK attendees can consume green beer
(Miller Lite) and Jameson Irish whiskey while getting their legs
moving to the sounds of Irish rock and folk. Providing that aural
kick in the belly are Irish folk-rock act the ShamROCKers ----
interesting name ---- at 4 p.m. and the Irish Step Dancers at 5 and
6:30 p.m. Pub-rock-lovin' the Fooks perform at 6 p.m. while
frequent headliner Young Dubliners play a bit earlier this year,
from 7 to 8:30 p.m. San Diego Irish punk-rock band the Downs Family
closes the party from 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. Word of advice: by the
time the hard-charging Downs Family perform, it might be wise to
refrain from pinching strangers who are not sporting green.

If your 24-hour Irishness can't quite accommodate the occasional
penny whistle, seek out The Field or the DJ Stage. The Field stage
is the place to see DJ Brent Bartel from 4 to 8 p.m. and DJ G*ROY
from 8 p.m. to midnight. The DJ Stage features DJ BDP spinning
old-school hip-hop and electro from 4 to 6:30 p.m. DJ Who
concentrates on electronic, rock and hip-hop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
San Diego's own DJ Marc Thrasher spins a little bit of everything
from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., and Bartel finishes up the festivities
with house, hip-hop and mash-ups until midnight.

Even on the main stage, the pub rock and jigs will be spelled
with a set by No Doubt tribute act No Duh from 9 to 10 p.m. (Maybe
the band could make a jig out of "Hella Good" or "Hey Baby.")

The event runs from 4 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $20 in
advance and $25 on event day. The festival takes place on F Street
between Fifth and Seventh avenues, Sixth Avenue between E and G
streets, and G Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. The main
entrance is at Fifth Avenue and G Street. The reward may not be
pots of gold, but shamROCKers can flash their wristbands to gain
free admission to more than 20 Gaslamp bars and restaurants and
still take advantage of food and drink specials.

Those who keep themselves a little too warm, shall we say, on a
cool winter evening can take advantage of shamROCK's free
designated driver program. Partiers with an event wristband can
receive a free ride home to anywhere in San Diego County from 9
p.m. to 1 a.m. Call 800-373-3743 or visit
MillerLiteFreeRides.com.

Buy event tickets by calling (619) 233-5008 or visiting
sandiegoshamrock.com. Tickets are also available at The Field, 544
Fifth Ave., San Diego.